Today’s guest is Melissa Hobson, who does business as The Ocean Writer Ltd. Her writing focuses on marine science and conservation. Melissa lives in Hastings, England. She has written for National Geographic, Scientific American, BBC Wildlife, BBC Countryfile, New Scientist, the Guardian and more. She also does some content and copywriting for NGOs and companies, but still focuses on the ocean and conservation. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The revelation she had after a conversation with a friend. 
• Using “I’m so busy” as an excuse. 
• Fear of failure.
• What she did in her business after a mindset shift. 
• How she gamified her pitching. 
• How she organizes her finances. 
• Using “busy” as a badge of honor or part of our identity. 
• Try this: Ask yourself “why” five times. 
• How she became interested in writing about the ocean. 
• The importance of following your curiosity. 

Resources:

Melissa’s website 

Melissa on LinkedIn

Melissa’s article about Fat Bear Week 

Fat Bear Week in Katmai National Park, Alaska

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Episode #163 of Deliberate Freelancer: Dealing with Overwhelm and Uncertainty: A Mini Coaching Session, with Helen Jane Campbell

I’m excited about Bluesky! Are you on the platform too? Let’s create a Deliberate Freelancer starter pack — more on that in this episode — but follow me at @MelEdits.

On today’s show, I share five questions to help you wrap up your year to create a “fresh start” in January. I explain the difference between these five questions and larger questions to ask yourself later in a solo business retreat to set up your year for success.

The five questions are:

1. What do I need to do now to line up work in January? 
2. What do I need to do to wrap up the year? 
3. Do I need to raise rates or fire anyone? 
4. Where do I need to improve my marketing and networking?
5. How much money did I make this year?

What I Learned This Week: 

Your standing desk isn’t making you any healthier: https://wapo.st/3ApawfD

The Bookshelf: “Slow Productivity” by Cal Newport 

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Melanie on Bluesky

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Episode #149 of Deliberate Freelancer: Evaluate—and Expand or Fire—Your Clients for a Strong 2023

Episode #123 of Deliberate Freelancer: My 2021 Business Review and Questions to Help You

Episode #148 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Line Up January Work Now

On today’s show, I talk about how hiring a business coach for a few months helped me get excited about my business again. 

Here’s what I share with you in this episode:

• Why I hired a coach.
• The initial goals I had with coaching and how that changed. 
• How outlining who my “core self” was helped me with my business direction. 
• Insights that my coach had that helped me. 
• Why you should ask yourself if the services you provide “light you up” and bring you joy. 
• How fight/flight/freeze/fawn may affect our businesses. 
• What the Polyvagal Theory is and a few ways to quickly calm your nerves (see links below). 

What I Learned This Week: I need to create a menu of joy. 

The Bookshelf: “The Caretaker” by Ron Rash 

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support ad-free Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

How to find a certified menopause practitioner

Informative Johns Hopkins article about menopause

Menopause expert Dr. Mary Claire Haver on Instagram

Dr. Mary Claire Haver’s book “The New Menopause”

Article “Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn: How We Respond to Threats”

Reels to show you how to calm anxiety and stress through your vagus nerve: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4D5bHNggVY/ https://www.instagram.com/p/C5oyvuRyiFL/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DABReeTMLlp/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DBjkz5RPOgk/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DB9juS0PLO4/

Episode #182 of Deliberate Freelancer: A massive pivot from freelancing to owning a business with her husband, with business coach Jenni Gritters

JenniGritters.com

Episode #126 of Deliberate Freelancer: A Real Talk About Mental Health—and Languishing

Episode #137 of Deliberate Freelancer: I’m Grieving. How Can I Keep My Business Running?

On today’s new regular monthly episode I recap what my business looked like in October. This includes:

• How much I worked in October.
• The types of work I did and how I charged.
• Why a lower-paying passion project can be worth it.
• My total monthly earnings.
• How I landed a new anchor client.
• Why I sometimes break the “freelancing rules” and charge hourly and per word. 

What I Learned This Week: I am not as young as I used to be. 

The Bookshelf: “The Flatshare” by Beth O’Leary

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Email Melanie feedback or suggestions about “By the Numbers” episodes: [email protected] 

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Today’s guest is Reyna Gobel, MBA, MPH, a New Yorker who is a purpose-driven freelance writer. She writes journalism and content on personal finance, travel, pets, and health and nutrition. 

Reyna is a personal finance and health expert and award-winning author. Her articles and quoted advice have appeared in over 300 publications and websites, including Forbes, Money, Reuters, NPR, Harvard Health, and The Atlantic. Michelle Singletary selected three of her books as the book of the month in The Washington Post. Reyna co-created the 30-Day Precision Nutrition Challenge and recently authored the fourth version of Graduation Debt : How to Manage Student Loans and Live Your Life. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• How to reduce your “ghost spending.” 
• The biggest mistakes she sees freelancers make with their finances.
• The importance of tracking your expenses.
• How budgeting apps can help you.
• How unexplained illnesses led to her nutrition journey.
• What she offers through her nutrition course.

What I Learned This Week: 

How AI super users are getting ahead at work

The Bookshelf: “Worst Case Scenario” by TJ Newman

Resources:

30-Day Precision Nutrition Challenge 

Book: “Graduation Debt : How to Manage Student Loans and Live Your Life”

Reyna on LinkedIn

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

I am finally back! I know, I know — this was way longer than that a “summer” hiatus. I’m sorry for the delay, but to be honest, I wasn’t sure I was coming back. I’ll talk about that in today’s episode and share why I did come back (mainly because of you, my wonderful listeners). 

Here’s what I share with you in this episode:

• A few minor changes to the podcast.
• How my income goals are going.
• Why my “summer” hiatus took so long.
• How I was reminded to prioritize what’s important to me.
• How I spent my summer vacation. 
• Why hiring a business coach was the right move.

What I Learned This Week: 

The types of Zoom backgrounds that are most and least likely to cause Zoom fatigue.

The Bookshelf: “Everyone But Myself” by Julie Chavez

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Episode #182 of Deliberate Freelancer: A massive pivot from freelancing to owning a business with her husband, with business coach Jenni Gritters

I will be on summer hiatus from June to September. This episode gives you a quick update about my summer plans and provides a sneak peek into what I’m looking forward to talking about in September. 

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Melanie’s other podcast, Association Station

Today’s guest is Austin L. Church, who returns to the show to talk about his book “Free Money.” 

Austin lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. He helps e-commerce founders stand out online with their brand strategy. Lately, he’s been working as a fractional chief marketing officer, consulting for creator economy companies. He also coaches freelance creatives.

Austin returned to the podcast to talk about his new book, “Free Money,” which I have read and highly recommend for all freelancers.

In this episode, we talk about: 

• Who this book is for and why he wrote it. 
• How our beliefs about money from childhood affect our businesses now. 
• The financial numbers you need to know to run your business.
• What “pessimistic pricing” and “weirdly precise” numbers are. 
• Set a price that reduces the chances you will resent the client or the project.
• The fine line between setting boundaries and being difficult to work with. 
• Why the “hustle” isn’t sustainable and can lead to burnout.
• The four stages of freelancing: Moonlighter, Hustler, Lifestyler and Diversifier. 
• The money mindset questions Austin asks his clients. For example, fill in the blank: Wealthy people are __________. Making money is __________. 
• How to address our money beliefs and improve our financial literacy.  
• Why investing in a business coach can be important to improve your business. 

Resources:

• Austin’s book: “Free Money: Nine Counterintuitive Moves for Life-Changing Freelance Income”
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Today’s guest is Rachel Meltzer. Rachel lives in Massachusetts after doing the “van life” thing for a few years. She is a freelance writer for software as a service companies or SaaS. She’s written for Lenovo, Grammarly, Loom, FarOut, Six Moon Designs and more in the tech and outdoor recreation industries.

She’s also a coach. She’s coached over 100 freelance writers on launching their businesses and getting clients and then scaling their businesses. She loves the freedom that freelancing gives her to thru-hike, live in a van, move whenever she wants, and spend time with her loyal cat, Bonnie. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The winding journey that led her to a freelance writing career. 
• How her Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2018 changed her life.
• The value in community and sharing experiences with other people. 
• How she went from a scarcity mindset to a healthier perspective. 
• The jealousy we’ve had of other freelancers and how we fight against that. 
• What she learned from a failed project.
• The importance of perseverance in landing clients. 
• How to “ooch” up your rates. 
• A simple system and aggressive outreach to get clients via LinkedIn. 
• The script she uses in a LinkedIn connection request. 
• What her weekly structure looks like — and why she changes it up about every six months. 
• How she schedules time off in advance — instead of taking “burnout” vacations. 

Biz Bite: Use ChatGPT to create your weekly schedule.  

One of several tips on how to use AI she learned from TikToker SuperHumanCo

Resources:

• Rachel’s free Get Clients on LinkedIn webinar on June 11
• Free Get Clients Guidebook
• Tons of free and low-fee resources from Rachel
• Rachel’s website and 1:1 coaching information 
• The Guidebook podcast
• Austin Church on The Guidebook: Austin L. Church's morning marketing habit will change your life
• Jenni Gritters on The Guidebook: Jenni Gritters slowed down
• Episode #182 of Deliberate Freelancer: A massive pivot from freelancing to owning a business with her husband, with business coach Jenni Gritters
• Episode #164 of Deliberate Freelancer: Using a “freakout” protocol to get work now, with Austin Church
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Today’s guest is Louis Tinsley, a DC-based commercial photographer. 

Louis has been working in the industry professionally for more than 10 years and sits on the board of the DC chapter of American Photographic Artists, where he runs the annual Photo Assistant Workshop. He also recently joined the Northern Virginia Community College Photography & Media Curriculum Advisory Board. His clients have included General Dynamics Corporation, the TED organization, local news station WTOP, and DASH Alexandria Transit Company in Virginia. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• How Louis got into photography. 
• What he loves about being a freelancer — and what he finds challenging. 
• What a good headshot and branding photos can do for your business. 
• What we should consider before we hire a photographer. 
• What should be included in the conversation with a photographer you are considering hiring — how much retouching is done, what to wear, whether a makeup artist is included.
• How a photographer should work to put a nervous subject at ease. 
• What happens after we do a photography shoot and what might be included in the package and services.
• How often we should update our headshots and business photos.
• How AI is affecting photography. 
• Advice for freelance photographers about how to keep enjoying the work.

Biz Bite: Try to control the flow of time as best you can.  

Resources:

• Louis Tinsley website
• Louis on Instagram
• Louis on Twitter
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Episode #68 of Deliberate Freelancer: Yes, You Need to Build a Personal Brand, with Hilary Sutton
• Episode #106 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Use Video to Connect with Your Audience, with Anita Kwan
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group